Prefabricated houses: advantages and disadvantages (Final Part)

19. noviembre 2015

In my last article I did make a long list of the advantages of prefab houses, well now is the time to see the other side of the coin so that you can make a
balance decision in case you want to proceed forward and build yourself one.

The final cost depends on many factors. Although the manufactured home has a fixed price, however it does not take into account any additional work on site
such as ground levelling, access to infrastructure supplies, etc., the original cost will start to raise in front of you your own eyes if not taken into consideration from the beginning and it is
left undetermined.

Changes to the design.

Any changes to the original design are more expensive to implement and although the prices of these houses are generally lower if a more elaborate design is
selected the prices are more expensive of course, even more than for a conventional house.

When looking in greater detail into the cheaper end of the market the designs are pretty basic and have the absolute minimum so it is wise to investigate the
actual specifications of the building.

Site setting out.

One has to be careful on the selection of the zone where the actual home it is going to be placed. Don't forget that they are prefabricated in a factory
somewhere in the world or even somewhere in Spain, bur a property in Costa Blanca doesn't have to put up with the weather of let's say Galicia or vice versa a home designed in the Basque Country
may not be suitable when placed in Orihuela Costa.

Other point to take into consideration is the definite position that the house itself is going to be placed. If no advice is obtained from a local architect
your house may be on the way of a sudden floods. Very dry ravines that may look that water past through there a million years ago, can surprisingly become submerged and the surrounding vicinity
with more water that you probably ever seen in your life in question of minutes, and when I mean in question of minutes, I mean in a question of minutes. In Spain never rains until it
pours.

Expensive maintenance.

Although prices may be inexpensive, sometimes these buildings may need a lot of maintenance costs I am refereeing specifically to timber houses which required
painting or treated against fire or insect attack every two or three years.

Inefficient use of renewable energy.

All new buildings designed nowadays must reduce energy consumption through good environmental design by taking advantage of sunlight to heat the building
during the winter days and are protected during summer months. This cannot be done with a prefabricated house or at least it will be more expensive to integrate as it has been designed and built
before determining the place where it will be finally placed. Thus, making a less efficient use of resources and natural lighting and heating and that will entail a less efficient house with a
very low rating energy certificate.

Difficulties in obtaining a mortgage.

It is not easy to find a bank that has mortgages for purchasing such housing. The fact that they can be disassembled and moved to a different location
may be regarded as personal property and not real property. However banks may give a loan, if the house has a construction project and building license and is anchored to the ground consistently.
If done so, you can use a self-promoter's mortgage, some banks are offering financing that can reach 80% of the value of the land and 80% of the house cost. Payments are released periodically as
work advance.

Not well known by the legislator.

Legislation is almost nonexistent. Legislation on prefabs is still "in its infancy" in Spain.

Until recently (and still in many places) these types of homes were considered as mobile homes, in practice it is at the expense of the criteria of the
councils of each municipality. And it is increasingly difficult to accept prefabricated homes as mobile elements, even if they are. The principle considered by most town halls is that that the
building has to be ready to be moved at any moment i.e. it must be on wheels. So that if you property is fixed to the ground or to the existing services such a sewerage or water in a permanent
form it will not be considered as mobile and therefore it will have to go through all the red tape as a normal home.

tagPlaceholderEtiquetas:construction-techniques, environmental-tendencies, english

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